Ingredients
- 1 litrewhole milk
- 250 gpanela, chopped, or dark muscovado
- 90 gcornflour
- 1cinnamon stick
- 3cloves
- a pinch of salt
- 30 gbutter
- ground cinnamon, to finish
- grated coconut or raisins (optional)
Directions
- Warm 750 ml of the milk with the panela, cinnamon stick, cloves and salt over a low heat, stirring until the panela has completely dissolved. Do not let it boil.
- Whisk the cornflour into the remaining 250 ml of cold milk until there is not a lump left. Cold milk, always: cornflour tipped into hot liquid seizes into pellets that no amount of whisking will save.
- Fish out the cinnamon stick and cloves, then pour the cornflour mixture into the pot in a steady stream, whisking constantly.
- Cook over medium-low heat, stirring without stopping and getting into the corners of the pan, for 10 to 15 minutes. It will thicken suddenly near the end and then need another two or three minutes of cooking to lose the raw starch taste.
- It is ready when a spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan leaves a track that holds for a second before closing. Beat in the butter.
- Pour into a shallow dish or individual bowls, smooth the top and leave to cool completely — three hours at room temperature, or two in the fridge — until it is firm enough to cut into squares.
- Dust heavily with ground cinnamon before serving, and scatter coconut or raisins over if using.
Technique
- Stop stirring for even thirty seconds and the bottom catches, and a scorched natilla tastes of nothing else. Use a heavy pan and stay with it; the whole cook is under twenty minutes.
- Panela is what makes it taste Colombian rather than of vanilla custard — its molasses note is the point. Refined white sugar gives a pale, flat result.
- It sets as it cools, not in the pan. If it looks slightly loose off the heat it is right.
Substitutions
- Muscovado or dark brown sugar for panela; piloncillo is the same thing under a Mexican name.
- Evaporated milk for a quarter of the whole milk gives the richer, denser version many families prefer.
- Cornflour is standard, but some households use rice flour for a slightly grainier set.
Variations
- Natilla is fixed to the nine nights of the Novena before Christmas and is always served with buñuelos, whose salt and cheese are the counterweight to its sweetness.
- Antioquia versions often add a strip of lemon peel to the milk; the coast sometimes finishes with grated fresh coconut.
History
Made through the nine-night Novena de Aguinaldos each December, stirred in a copper pot and cut into squares once firm.
Frequently asked questions
What is Natilla?
Natilla is a dessert from Colombia: set custard of milk, panela and cornstarch, eaten with bunuelos. Made through the nine-night Novena de Aguinaldos each December, stirred in a copper pot and cut into squares once firm.
How long does Natilla take to make?
Natilla takes 10 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes serves 8. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Natilla?
Yes, within limits. Muscovado or dark brown sugar for panela; piloncillo is the same thing under a Mexican name. Evaporated milk for a quarter of the whole milk gives the richer, denser version many families prefer. Cornflour is standard, but some households use rice flour for a slightly grainier set.
What is the most important thing to get right in Natilla?
Warm 750 ml of the milk with the panela, cinnamon stick, cloves and salt over a low heat, stirring until the panela has completely dissolved. Do not let it boil.
